The Delhi government has temporarily suspended the Indo-Nepal Maitri Bus Sewa for the next two days as a preventive measure due to massive flash floods. According to officials, road transportation has been completely shut on the National Highway, Delhi-Kathmandu Route in Nepal at present after the massive flash floods. The Delhi Transport Corporation order stated that trips scheduled for DTC buses on August 28 Delhi to Kathmandu and Kathmandu to Delhi have been held up due to the massive flash floods in Nepal. The Delhi government introduced the Delhi-Kathmandu-Delhi international bus service in 2014, with buses departing Delhi at 10 am for Kathmandu, passing through Uttar Pradesh before crossing the border into Nepal at the Sonauli check-post near Gorakhpur.
A 16-kilometer queue of cargo vehicles has formed on the Indian side of the Sonauli border in Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, as trucks await entry into Nepal. According to reports from PTI, the Nepal flash floods have disrupted cross-border trade between India and the neighboring country, with goods vehicles bound for Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal via Maharajganj facing significant delays due to damaged and flooded roads. The queue has extended towards Nautanwa, raising concerns over traffic movement on the national highway. Besides vehicles bound for Kathmandu, cargo trucks heading to other parts of Nepal are also facing delays as traffic movement on several routes remains affected.
Security agencies and police personnel are monitoring the situation and regulating vehicle movement at the border. Circle Officer Basant Singh stated that surveillance at the Sonauli border has been intensified, with police station heads in border areas directed to remain alert. As reported by PTI, officials warned that the situation could worsen if road connectivity in Nepal is not restored soon, potentially delaying movement and supply of goods between the two countries. NDRF and SDRF teams remain deployed in villages, while PAC and water police personnel have also been put on alert, with other small seasonal rivers and water channels in the area being monitored closely.
The floods have affected residents of Maharajganj who work in Nepal. According to PTI, Raj Kumar Gautam, a resident of Jagarnathpur village who had been working as a furniture worker in Kathmandu for nearly a year, is returning home after escaping the flood situation. Gautam told his family over the phone that the situation was terrifying, with several families left devastated and people struggling to reach safer places amid panic and chaos. His daughter Ankita reported that he informed the family around 4 pm on Thursday that he was returning home by bus via Bihar, as he is the sole earning member supporting his family's livelihood and education.
In the neighboring Kushinagar district, authorities have intensified vigilance along the 17.5-kilometer embankment between Narwajot and Ahirauli. As reported by PTI, Revenue, police and flood-control teams are monitoring vulnerable stretches, with Additional District Magistrate Vaibhav Mishra increasing vigilance in riverside villages. Residents near Chhitauni and Valmikinagar reported seeing household articles including gas cylinders, beds and refrigerators being carried away by strong currents, with some locals managing to retrieve these items from the water. The floods have also affected residents of Maharajganj who work in Nepal, with the situation highlighting the vulnerability of cross-border workers to natural disasters.
